Forming elements from concrete pipe

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for removing a forming element from a concrete pipe includes a support member and a removal device including first and second elements. The first element is attachable to the forming element and has a stop. The second element is supported by the support member such that the second element is swingable with respect to the support member. In addition, the second element is engageable with the stop so as to apply a force to the first element for removing the forming element from the concrete pipe.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to a method and apparatus for removing aforming element from concrete pipe.

[0003] 2. Background Art

[0004] Hand held hammers have been used to remove forming elements, suchas headers and pallets, from concrete pipe. Such hammers are used tostrike forming elements so as to break them free from concrete pipe.While effective, these hammers are relatively inefficient and difficultto handle.

[0005] Pneumatic hammers have also been used for the same purpose. Oneknown pneumatic hammer includes a rod that is attachable to a formingelement, and a weight that is axially movable along the rod. The weightis air-driven against an end of the rod so as to apply a removing forceon the forming element. The hammer may further be supported by a hoist.Such a hammer, however, is expensive and requires an air compressor tooperate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Under the invention, an apparatus for removing a forming elementfrom a concrete pipe includes a support member and a removal deviceincluding first and second elements. The first element is attachable tothe forming element and has a stop. The second element is supported bythe support member such that the second element is swingable withrespect to the support member. In addition, the second element isengageable with the stop so as to apply a force to the first element forremoving the forming element from the concrete pipe.

[0007] Further under the invention, a method of removing a formingelement from a concrete pipe includes attaching a guide element to theforming element, the guide element having a stop; and swinging apendulum element such that the pendulum element engages the stop andapplies a force on the guide element, thereby causing the guide elementto apply a removing force on the forming element.

[0008] Generally, under the invention, an apparatus for separating afirst object from a second object includes a support member and aremoval device including first and second elements. The first element isattachable to the first object and has a stop. The second element issupported by the support member such that the second element isswingable with respect to the support member. In addition, the secondelement is engageable with the stop so as to apply a force to the firstelement for separating the first object from the second object.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 is a side view of an apparatus according to the inventionfor removing a forming element from a concrete pipe;

[0010]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus showing two hammer devices;

[0011]FIG. 3 is a top view of one of the hammer devices;

[0012]FIG. 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of one of the hammerdevices taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and viewed in the direction ofthe airrows;

[0013]FIG. 5 is a side view of one of the hammer devices supported by asuspension beam and including a guide element and a pendulum elementthat is movable with respect to the guide element, wherein the pendulumelement is shown in a first position;

[0014]FIG. 6 is a side view of the hammer device of FIG. 5 showing thependulum element in a second position engaged with a stop of the guideelement.

[0015]FIG. 7 is a side view of a second embodiment of a hammer deviceaccording to the invention;

[0016]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the hammer device of FIG. 7taken along line 8-8 and viewed in the direction of the arrows; and

[0017]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 8 showing analternative configuration of the hammer device of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

[0018]FIGS. 1 and 2 show an apparatus 10 according to the invention forremoving a forming element 12 from a concrete pipe 14, which may besupported on a stand 15. The forming element 12 may be, for example, aheader or a pallet. A header is a cast iron ring, or other suitablestructure, that is used to form a male end of the concrete pipe 14, anda pallet is a cast iron ring, or other suitable structure, that is usedto form a female end of the concrete pipe 14. The concrete pipe 14 maybe of the type used in water supply systems, storm sewer systems, sewagesystems, and/or other fluid carrying systems, for example.

[0019] The apparatus 10 includes a support member, such as supportarrangement 16, and one or more removal devices, such as hammer devices18, supported by the support arrangement 16. While the supportarrangement 16 may have any suitable configuration, in the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support arrangement 16 includes a mainsupport structure or support frame 20 having laterally extending tracks22. The support arrangement 16 further includes a carriage, such astrolley 24, that is supported on the tracks 22 and is laterally movablewith respect to the support frame 20. The trolley 24 includes a base 26having multiple wheels 28 that are engageable with the tracks 22, andone or more support beams 30 connected to the base 26. In one embodimentof the invention, the support beams 30 may be laterally adjusted withrespect to the base 26, and then secured in a desired position withremovable fasteners, such as pins, bolts, and/or screws 31, that areconfigured to extend into one or more apertures formed in the base 26.

[0020] Each hammer device 18 includes first and second elements, such asa guide element 32 and a drive element or pendulum element 34, that aresupported by a respective support beam 30. For example, the guideelement 32 and pendulum element 34 of a particular hammer device 18 maybe connected to a respective support beam 30 by suspension members 36,such as cables or chains.

[0021] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, each guide element 32 has anattachment portion, such as a rod 38, that is attachable to the formingelement 12. For example, the rod 38 may include a rod body 39 and one ormore laterally extending projections 40 that are each insertable into aneyelet 41, or other attachment feature, on the forming element 12. Eachguide element 32 further includes two longitudinally extending sideportions or rails 42 connected to a respective rod 38. The rails 42 of arespective guide element 32 are connected together at one end by a stop44, and are further connected together proximate an opposite end by alaterally extending member 46. For each guide element 32, the rails 42define a guide channel 48 for receiving a respective pendulum element 34and for guiding movement of the pendulum element 34. Alternatively, eachguide element 32 may have any suitable configuration sufficient to guidemovement of a respective pendulum element 34.

[0022] Each pendulum element 34 is supported by a respective supportbeam 30 such that the pendulum element 34 is swingable with respect tothe support beam 30. While each pendulum element 34 may have anysuitable configuration, in the embodiment shown in the figures, eachpendulum element 34 includes a pendulum body 50, such as an I-beamhaving an I-shaped cross section, and a handle 51 attached to thependulum body 50. Such a configuration allows each pendulum element 34to move vertically, as well as horizontally, with respect to arespective guide element 32. Each pendulum element 34 is movable alongat least a portion of a respective guide element 32 between a firstposition shown in FIG. 5, and a second position shown in FIG. 6 in whichthe pendulum element 34 is engaged with the stop 44 of a respectiveguide element 32. Thus, each pendulum element 34 may be swung against astop 44 of a respective guide element 32 so as to impart a force on orto the guide element 32, thereby causing the guide element 32 to apply aremoval force on or to the forming element 12.

[0023] In the embodiment shown in the Figures, the pendulum element 34remains substantially parallel to the support beam 30, as well as to afloor surface on which the apparatus 10 is disposed, as the pendulumelement 34 swings between the first and second positions. In otherwords, the pendulum element 34 remains oriented generally horizontallyas the pendulum element 34 swings between the first and secondpositions. With such a configuration, the pendulum element 34 strikesthe stop 44 squarely when the pendulum element 34 is in the secondposition.

[0024] Alternatively, the hammer devices 18 may have any suitableconfiguration such that each pendulum element 34 may move vertically andhorizontally with respect to a respective guide element 32, therebyallowing pendulum movement of the pendulum elements 34 with respect tothe guide elements 32. Examples of other suitable configurations aredescribed below in detail.

[0025] In addition, the hammer devices 18 may comprise any suitablematerial and be manufactured in any suitable manner. For example, eachguide element 32 and each pendulum element 34 may comprise steel oraluminum. Furthermore, the hammer devices 18 may be assembled in anysuitable manner. For example, each pendulum element 34 may be positionedin the guide channel 48 of a respective guide element 32, and then thelaterally extending member 46 and rod 38 may be welded, or otherwiseattached, to the rails 42 of the guide element 32.

[0026] Returning to FIG. 1, the apparatus 10 may also include one ormore hoists 52 that are also supported by the support arrangement 16.For example, the support arrangement 16 may include one or more supportarms 54 pivotably attached to the support frame 20, and configured tosupport the hoists 52. Each hoist 52 may also be laterally movable withrespect to a respective support arm 54 so that the hoist 52 may beproperly positioned with respect to the forming element 12. For example,each hoist 52 may include one or more wheels 56 that are engageable witha respective support arm 54.

[0027] Each hoist 52 includes a hoist member, such as a cable 58, havingany suitable attachment element, such as a hook 60, that is attachableto the forming element 12 so that the hoist 52 may be used to supportthe forming element 12 after the forming element 12 has been removedfrom the concrete pipe 14. Each hoist 52 may further include electroniccontrols 62 for controlling movement of the cable 58.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 1-6, operation of the apparatus 10 will now bedescribed in detail. First, the hammer devices 18 may be moved intoproper position with respect to the concrete pipe 14 by moving thetrolley 24 with respect to the support frame 20. Advantageously, thesupport beams 30 may also be laterally adjusted with respect to the base26 of the trolley 24 so as to accommodate different forming elementand/or concrete pipe diameters. Furthermore, the height of the hammerdevices 18 may be adjusted for the same reason. For example, if thesuspension members 36 are chains, one or more chain links may be removedto adjust the length of each suspension member 36. Alternatively,changes in spacing of the hammer devices 18 and/or height of the hammerdevices 18 may be accomplished automatically with, for example,electronic, pneumatic and/or hydraulic controls.

[0029] Next, each hammer device 18 may be attached to the formingelement 12, such as by inserting a respective projection 40 into aneyelet 41. The hoists 52 may be moved into proper position by pivotingthe support arms 54 and/or by moving the hoists 52 with respect to thesupport arms 54. Next, each hoist 52 may be attached to the formingelement 12 such as by inserting a respective hook 60 into an attachmentfeature, such as an eyelet 64, on the forming element 12. The hoists 52may then be adjusted so that the cables 58 are sufficiently taut.

[0030] Next, referring to FIG. 5, one or both of the pendulum elements34 may be moved manually to respective first positions using, forexample, the handles 51. The pendulum elements 34 may then be releasedfrom the first positions so that each pendulum element 34 swings towarda respective second position and engages a respective stop 44, therebyimparting a force on or to the corresponding guide element 32 in adirection generally away from the forming element 12. As a result, eachguide element 32 applies a removing force on or to the forming element12 in order to break the bond between the forming element 12 and theconcrete pipe 14. If the forming element 12 remains attached to theconcrete pipe 14, one or both of the pendulum elements 34 may be swungone or more additional times against the stops 44.

[0031] After the forming element 12 has been removed from the concretepipe 14, one or both of the hoists 52 may be used to support the formingelement 12. The hammer devices 18 may then be removed from the formingelement 12. Next, the support arms 54 may be pivoted to a side of theconcrete pipe 14 so as to position the forming element 12 on a cleaningtable (not shown). After sufficient cleaning, the support arms 54 mayagain be pivoted with respect to the support frame 20, such as bypushing or pulling on the forming element 12, so as to position theforming element 12 on a storage pallet (not shown) or at some othersuitable location.

[0032] Although the apparatus 10 is shown with two hammer devices 18,the apparatus 10 may include one or more hammer devices 18 as previouslymentioned. Furthermore, if the apparatus 10 is provided with multiplehammer devices 18, the hammer devices 18 may be swung simultaneously orone at a time. Additionally, as mentioned above, the apparatus 10 may beprovided with a single hoist 52 for supporting the forming element 12.

[0033] The apparatus 10 includes several beneficial aspects. First, ifthe apparatus 10 is provided with the trolley 24, the hammer devices 18may be easily and efficiently positioned with respect to the formingelement 12. Second, the hammer devices 18 may be manually operated.Third, the hammer devices 18 utilize the force of gravity to generateremoving forces that are applied to the forming element 12. Fourth, theremoving force generated by each hammer device 18 may be easily adjustedby varying swing speed and/or by varying swing weight of the pendulumelement 34. For example, each pendulum 34 may include a post, or othersuitable feature, on which weights may be mounted. As another example,one or more members such as weights may bolted, welded or otherwiseattached to each pendulum element 34. Furthermore, if the apparatus 10includes one or more hoists 52, the hoists 52 may be used to efficientlyhandle and position the forming element 12 after removal from theconcrete pipe 14.

[0034]FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment 18′ of a hammer device accordingto the invention. The hammer device 18′ may be supported by any suitablesupport member, such as the support arrangement 16 described above, andmay be operated in a similar manner as the hammer device 18.Furthermore, similar features of the hammer device 18 and hammer device18′ are identified with the same reference numbers.

[0035] The hammer device 18′ includes a guide element 32′ and a pendulumelement 34′ that is swingably movable along at least a portion of theguide element 32′. The guide element is formed as an elongated rod 38′with an enlarged end that defines a stop 44′. The pendulum element 34′has a hollow body 50′ that receives the guide element 32′. Furthermore,the hollow body 50′ is engageable with the stop 44′ so as to apply ahammer force on or to the stop 44′, thereby causing the guide element32′ to apply a removing force on or to the forming element 12.

[0036] The rod 38′ and hollow body 50′ may have any suitableconfiguration such that the pendulum element 34′ may move vertically andhorizontally with respect to the guide element 32′, thereby allowingpendulum or swinging movement of the pendulum element 34′ with respectto the guide element 32′. For example, referring to FIG. 8, the rod 38′may have a generally circular cross-section, and the hollow body 50′ maybe a generally cylindrical or tubular member. As another example, therod 38′ and hollow body 50′ may each have a generally rectangularcross-section, as shown in FIG. 9. In either case, the hollow body 50′has an inner dimension, such as an inner diameter, that is sufficientlylarge to allow the pendulum element 34′ to swing along the guide element32′.

[0037] While the apparatus 10 is particularly useful for removingforming elements from concrete pipe, the apparatus 10 may be used in anyapplication that requires a relatively high impact force. For example,the apparatus 10 may be used in any application requiring a relativelylarge force for separating joined objects or members. For instance, theapparatus 10 may be used to pull an axle from an axle housing.

[0038] While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate anddescribe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used inthe specification are words of description rather than limitation, andit is understood that various changes may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

1-14. (Canceled)
 15. A method of removing a forming element from aconcrete pipe, the method comprising: attaching a guide element to theforming element, the guide element having a stop; and swinging apendulum element such that the pendulum element engages the stop andapplies a force on the guide element, thereby causing the guide elementto apply a removing force on the forming element.
 16. The method ofclaim 15 wherein the guide element has a guide channel that receives atleast a portion of the pendulum element as the pendulum element swings.17. The method of claim 15 wherein the pendulum element has an I-shapedcross-section.
 18. The method of claim 15 wherein the pendulum elementincludes a cylindrical body, and the guide element extends through thecylindrical body.
 19. The method of claim 15 wherein the guide elementand the pendulum element each have a generally rectangularcross-section, and the guide element extends through the pendulumelement.
 20. The method of claim 15 wherein the pendulum element issupported by a support member such that the pendulum element isswingable with respect to the support member.
 21. The method of claim 20wherein the guide element is also supported by the support member. 22.The method of claim 15 further comprising adjusting swing weight of thependulum element. 23-35. Canceled
 36. The method of claim 20 wherein thependulum element is configured to remain oriented generally horizontallyas the pendulum element swings with respect to the support member. 37.The method of claim 20 wherein the pendulum element is swingable withrespect to the support member between a first position in which thependulum element is disengaged from the stop and a second position inwhich the pendulum element is engaged with the stop.
 38. A method forseparating a first object from a second object, the method comprising:engaging a first element with the first object, the first element havinga stop; and swinging a second element with respect to a support membersuch that the second element engages the stop and applies a force on thefirst element for separating the first object from the second object.39. The method of claim 38 wherein the first element has a guide channelthat receives at least a portion of the second element as the secondelement swings.
 40. The method of claim 38 wherein the second elementhas an I-shaped cross-section.
 41. The method of claim 38 wherein thesecond element includes a cylindrical body, and the first elementextends through the cylindrical body.
 42. The method of claim 38 whereinthe first element and the second element each have a generallyrectangular cross-section, and the first element extends through thesecond element.
 43. The method of claim 38 wherein the first and secondelements are supported by the support member.
 44. The method of claim 38further comprising adjusting swing weight of the second element.
 45. Themethod of claim 38 wherein the second element applies a generallyhorizontal force to the first element upon engaging the stop.
 46. Themethod of claim 38 wherein the second element is swingable with respectto the support member between a first position in which the secondelement is disengaged from the stop and a second position in which thesecond element is engaged with the stop.
 47. The method of claim 38wherein the second element is configured to remain oriented generallyhorizontally as the second element swings with respect to the supportmember.